When Miranda and I published Holly and Ivy, we treated ourselves to a day at the spa.

With COVID, that wasn’t an option this time around. However, neither of us wanted to skip celebrating the release of Heart of Ice, our second cowrite. Getting a novel over the finish line shouldn’t skip by without raising a glass.

So, Miranda recommended heading to a Shaker village, roughly an hour and a half drive from Boston.

I know nothing about the Shakers, but I’m always up for a bit of a historical adventure, and I gladly accepted the offer.

Again, due to COVID, there weren’t tours available, but we knew this ahead of time and I didn’t mind. It was a lovely late summer day, and the temperature hovered near 80 without much humidity, a true blessing after a scorching July in Boston. We checked out some of the buildings from the outside, but my favorite part was wandering the grounds.

There was a short walking trail, and I spied many dragonflies, frogs, stunning flowers, and a quaint pond.

We brought food and iced tea for a picnic and camped out at a table for a safe chat. Our only interaction with strangers was an adorable ginger kitty, who conned Miranda out of a slice of turkey. To protect our pussy friend, I didn’t take a photo (code for I was enjoying the food so much I plum forgot to get a snap of the scrappy cat).

On the way home, we stopped at a vineyard since Miranda is doing research for her next lesbian romance. Who doesn’t love research involving drinking wine outside and indulging in dessert?

All it all, it was a fantastic day.

And, Miranda, if you need a research buddy for more vineyard trips, all you need to do is ask.

What happens when the one person who makes your heart sing is also the one person who could destroy everything you’ve worked for?

Laurie “the Hatchet” Emerson is a ruthless leader in Boston finance who’s rumoured to have a block of ice where her heart should be. If only. Recently widowed, Laurie fears she’s broken beyond repair, until a once-in-a-lifetime business deal reignites her passion for work and gives her a shot at proving to the world she still has some life left in her.

Jack Kennedy is a young portfolio manager who aspires to greatness. Unfortunately, she’s so many rungs down the corporate ladder she can’t even scrape up enough money to move out of her mother’s apartment. Her luck changes when her work ethic is finally rewarded with the job opportunity of her dreams.

A blizzard forces their worlds to collide, but what was meant to be a no-strings night of passion becomes more complicated when they both arrive at the office the next morning to discover they each spent the night with the one person in the city who could crush their futures.

Together, they just might hold the keys to everything they’ve ever wanted, but the difference in their ages and positions could spell the end of their careers. Will the ice queen and the protégé find happiness together or lose everything?

Best-selling lesbian fiction authors TB Markinson & Miranda MacLeod have written a scorching ice queen romance about love striking twice. Read it today!